2018 has been a more than a few months in the rear-view mirror, and we’ve had time to look back assess where we went and why.  Bottom line:  ’twas a busy year, but on par with years past and inline with what we know other towing companies are doing.

While there often are some differences from year-to-year, most annual breakdowns follow similar patterns, with the causes remaining mostly the same.

So without further ado Virginia Beach, here’ top 5 reasons people called for roadside assistance in 2018:

Battery issues

Over the years modern cars have become incredibly reliable mechanically, however with all the gadgets, wifi, and electric timing the load on your battery can be extremely high.  If you’re not careful, the juice in your battery can deplete quickly.

While a jump from a stranger sometimes does the trick, more often than not we’ve seen people with issues at the terminals.  They’re either corroded, or loosely connect.  If the terminals look caked over with white gunk or rust, clean them off and securely tighten the connection.

Batteries are not overtly delicate but when it stops working, it needs to be replaced, or a connection issue inside your vehicle needs to be understood and fixed. Typically battery issues cannot be fixed by simple tools that can be carried around in a car. It can also be a hazard sometimes if untrained people try to fix batteries on their own the least of which can be getting shocked.

Flat Tire Calls

For one reason or another, flat tire calls increased in 2018.  We say everything from small punctures to dangerous tire blowouts and everything in between.  Perhaps it’s because we had a relatively quite snow season.

Whatever the reason, tire issues are not as terminal as battery trouble, some tire issues can require roadside assistance. Sometimes it can be because there isn’t a spare tire or the spare tire is damaged as well or if the issue is so serious that it cannot be fixed by simply swapping tires out.
Other times multiple tires might be involved or the people in the car might not have the tools or the adequate knowledge to change tires. In all such cases, roadside assistance can and is often the only way out of being stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Putting Together An Roadside Emergency Kit

Getting locked out

We have all been there even if it might be embarrassing to admit. In today’s world of contact-less keys, it can be very easy to leave yourself locked out of the car and the very safety and alarm systems that protect your car from being stolen can turn into a major headache if you find yourself locked out of your car without a way to unlock it.

This situation can be rendered a lot worse if someone is locked inside the car such as a child or a pet who cannot unlock themselves and that can lead to a lot of panic-stricken and dangerous moments.

Roadside assistance in the form of a locksmith is usually the only way out and in 2018 a lot of people needed this type of help.

Starter trouble

Often seemingly a battery issue, a non-working starter can be extremely frustrating to say the least.  While you may be able to simple jump a battery with another vehicle, starter issues often require a new starter (expensive!)

While you may need a new starter long-term, there are ways to get the starter working again, at least to the point of getting you to the repair shop.  First step is to check the joint of all the connecting cables between the battery and the starter. Tighten everything because a loose connection means less flow of current to the starter.

If that doesn’t work sometimes a light tap with a hammer (TIP:  have one in you car’s emergency kit), is enough to jerk the gears into motion.

Running out of fuel

Running out of fuel and needing assistance happened a lot more than most people would imagine and it made up a good portion of our calls in 2018.

This can happen due to a number of reasons. The primary of these is, well, carelessness.  Truth is, people tend to overlook the fuel indicator and try to drive off on near empty fuel tanks – don’t feel bad, we’ve done it ourselves!

Another reason could be people trying to be overly optimistic. Finally, it could be a broke fuel level indicator that leads car owners into a false sense of security as to the amount of fuel left in their cars.

Thankfully, with the help of roadside assistance, people stuck in such unfortunate situations in 2018 didn’t have to push their cars to the nearest fuel station.